U.S. Fertility Rate Drops to 30-Year Low

Jan. 11, 2019 — The United States’ fertility rate dropped to a 30-year low in 2017, a federal government report says.

The rate was 16 percent below the level that’s needed for the U.S. population to replace itself. Only two states — South Dakota and Utah — had fertility rates above replacement levels, ABC News reported.

There was a 57 percent difference between the highest fertility rate (South Dakota) and the lowest (Washington, D.C.), according to the National Vital Statistics report released Thursday.

National fertility rates have been declining and women generally have their first child at an older age, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ABC News reported.